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whats the best uvb and uva lighting to use and strength?

ReptiGlo compact Fluorescent 25 watt 5.0 UVB.

I use a T-rex MVB, 100 watt flood. The best lighting for you would depend on the size of your tank and your setup.

I use a 5.0 26 watt exo-terra bulb.

The bulbs that are mentioned above have the best reputations around here. Your tank needs to be at least 50 gallons to use an MVB.

A lot of folks think the UVA and UVB bulbs are different, but actually any bulb that provides UVB is also providing UVA since UVA lies on the spectrum between UVB and visible light. The other bulb that people use is a heat bulb which probably is providing a little bit of UVA but not enough to be useful.

Any kind of light produces a little heat but serious heat is infra red rather than ultra violet (UV).

I use a Reptisun 10.0 UVB Flourescent, and a 40 watt Exo Blue Daylight bulb for basking heat.......

is a 10.0 too strong for a 40 gallon tank? or more importantly how far away from the tank should it be?

i have a Reptisun 2.0 (i couldn't find a 5.0 at the time and 10.0 seemed too strong) but i'd like to get a new one soon.

10.0 is way too strong for a 40 gallon tank, I would stick too just putting a 5.0 compact in a clamp lamp over the basking area.

Vtolds wrote:10.0 is way too strong for a 40 gallon tank, I would stick too just putting a 5.0 compact in a clamp lamp over the basking area.

is it too strong even if it's far away from the tank? i could, in theory, set the lamp a few feet above the tank.

You would have too wait for others too answer but from everything I read 10.0 usually just lead to eye problems.

my tank is 125 gallons

"10.0 is way too strong for a 40 gallon tank, I would stick too just putting a 5.0 compact in a clamp lamp over the basking area."

I've been using the 10.0 since they first came out and I have had zero problems with it.....No eye problems or otherwise......I use it in a slider type hood which is mounted to a custom made canopy, about 12" from his basking dock.....

Will soon be using both a exo terra 5.0 and 2.0.

The 2.0 isnt really for the turtles, more for the live plants I have in my basking area - but the 5.0 is for the turtles.

Unless someone can tell me using 2x 2.0's will be sufficient....

jridge, is your Reptisun a tube fluorescent or a compact fluorescent? The tubes haven't caused any problems - in fact, the Reptisun tubes are top of the line tubes. The problems were with the Reptisun compact fluorescents.

Sometimes it's not just the strength of the bulb or distance, avoid using a highly reflective fixture.

Here's what happened to Big Daddy after 4 days under a 10.0 compact lamp mounted in a polished stainless steel hood and positioned 12" above the basking area:





I use a 5.0 compact in a hood that I painted flat black. He recovered completely in about 5 days. No more problems.